05/11/2026
DID YOU KNOW? .......
That on May 22, 1921, a fire broke out in the old elevator tower of the hospital? According to The Advocate (May 27, 1921):
"At 4am... dense volumes of smoke were issuing and floating through the upper floors of the building. Twenty-eight patients were taken from the building to the nurses' home and the Annex and not one patient suffered any in the transfer. It was evidence of the calibre of the nurses with which Miss Grant, the superintendent, has surrounded herelf. The nurses are all deserving of the highest praise. Their coolness was simply marvellous and it takes more than a burning hospital to cause anyone of them to lose their head."
Four years later, at the Auxiliary AGM on January 26, 1925, Hospital board members Mr. MacIntosh and Mr Sinclair addressed a pressing issue: The Fire Marshall required fire esscapes on every floor. The projected cost was $12,000.00 (Approximately $22,043.03 in 2026 value).
While construction had begun, the board lacked the necessary funds. Mrs. Townsend moved to allocate $1,200.00 from the Auxiliary toward the installation, and the motion carried. Source: Page 158, Ladies Auxiliary Aberdeen Hospital Minute Book 1912-1925.
[Image Aberdeen Hospital Nurses Residence with wooden fire escapes, photo 1938]
